


Say Something

by BatFlash11



Category: DCU, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: M/M, RIP, no emotional attachment to them, some aliens ya know, there is a character death but its just a made up person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22097494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatFlash11/pseuds/BatFlash11
Summary: they know going into every mission that they may not walk away.*Previously titled "Hope"*
Relationships: Aqualad/Raven, Batman/Flash, Bruce Wayne/Wally West, Garth/Raven (DCU), Raven/Aqualad
Comments: 14
Kudos: 41





	1. Invasion

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this was supposed to be a one-shot but I've been working on it for a while and its getting pretty long. I'm nowhere close to the end but I'd like to get it posted so hopefully people can motivate me to keep working on it!

The door slid open with a near silent swoosh, yet it seemed much louder in the silent room. Well, almost silent. The constant and unmistakable beep beep beep of the heart rate monitor was a welcome noise, one that may have been considered annoying if the circumstances were any different. The dark-haired man stood at the door, staring, taking everything in. There were others there, of course, none wanting to leave their young friend alone. If it hadn’t been obvious that he was the youngest before, there was no denying it now. Lying there in the Watchtower medical bay, hooked up to all sorts of wires and machines that were doing everything in their power to keep him alive, he looked small. Broken. He couldn’t take his eyes off him. He tried to take a quick inventory of his injuries, but wasn’t sure where to start. The others in the room watched him. It seemed nobody wanted to be the one to break the silence in the room. Bruce finally broke out of his trance and slowly approached the bed. He wished he hadn’t. It seemed every step he became aware of another bruise, another scrape, another injury to the beloved speedster. He spotted what he assumed was Wally’s medical chart, left by the doctors, on the counter. He wasn’t sure he wanted to look. Instead he pried his gaze away from the redhead and sharply turned and sent a pleading gaze towards the Man of Steel, who was seated beside the bed along with John and Shayera. 

Clark let out a sigh and his large frame seemed to deflate in his seat. He averted his eyes, suddenly finding the floor extremely interesting, while a hand came up to rub at the back of his neck. He didn’t want to be the one to tell him this, nor did he want to go over it again and be reminded of their grave situation. As if the state of his friend wasn’t proof enough. Finally, he looked back up at his friend, his look apologetic. 

“Where should I start?”

\---

“Another day, another alien invasion,” Flash quipped, backing up and taking in his situation. He was surrounded by creatures that looked right out of Independence Day...only scalier. They weren’t armored and went down easily enough, but they numbered in the thousands, maybe millions, and had come without warning late in the night, targeting two major cities: New York City and Shanghai, China. The heroes weren’t sure why they split their attack to opposite ends of the planet, but it did mean that they had to split their ranks. Severely outnumbered, Batman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Women went to Shanghai while Superman, Hawkgirl, Flash, and Green Lantern dealt with the domestic invaders. 

“They don’t happen that often,” John said, all the while encasing an alien in green light and throwing it into another that was taking aim at Shayera. She swooped down with her mace pulled back and sent it into the head of one trying to sneak up behind Wally. 

“Two in one year is more than enough for me,” She said, her wings resting as she landed on her feet. Two more immediately came to attack her, but she dodged the first and grabbed onto its arm. Using the momentum, she swung it into the other before letting go. She briefly wondered if they would swim as she sent them both flying off the bridge and into the Hudson River. Before anyone had the time to notice, Wally had zipped around and vibrated his hand through their weapons, pulling some wires loose. Once again surrounded by enemies, he held his hands up in mock surrender. 

“C’mon guys, really, let's talk about this,” his attempt as reasoning was ignored, as one by one the aliens pulled the trigger on the weapons, only to have them spark and explode, taking each down with it. Wally smirked to himself and put his hands down. 

“Good talk.”

Once he was sure they were all down, he sped over to Shayera, where John was landing as well. The city was complete chaos. Police, firefighters, military, and other local heroes were doing what they could to evacuate people and defend them from aliens the League couldn’t get to. Buildings were on fire, windows were smashed, street lamps were down across intersections. They needed to regroup and come up with a plan of attack. High above them, a massive ship hovered in the sky. It was equipped with a cannon, which had already been used three times to destroy an entire building and a large section of the bridge. The third had missed its target and gone into the Hudson, but the resulting wave had caused a boat to capsize. Superman had flown down and rescued the crew quickly enough, but the casualties from the whole ordeal were already high. They watched as hundreds more aliens headed down towards them. 

“I hope the others are having better luck than we are,” Wally said. When Batman said that he and J’onn were going to sneak onto the ship in Shanghai, his stomach had dropped. They’d almost lost him during the Imperium invasion. Back before the League, before whatever this was that had developed between the two of them had even begun. 

“You’re in luck,” Superman said, swooping down to join them, “I just got word from Batman. He and J’onn were able to get into the control room and set it’s coordinates to another galaxy and rigged the system to self-destruct if Earth’s coordinates are ever programmed into it again.” 

The three all raised their eyebrows, surprised at the decision. At the same time, they knew it had to be this way. Thousands of innocent people had already been killed by these invaders; Earth couldn’t afford for them to return.

“Can we do to same thing to this one?” Shayera asked, pointing up at the ship with her mace.

“We’re going to try. Bruce and J’onn are needed in Shanghai to finish off the aliens that were already off the ship. John, you’re with me,” Shayera looked like she was going to argue, but Superman cut her off before she could get a word out, “You two are needed down here.” He said firmly, gesturing to the scene around them. Taking a look around she nodded and tightened her grip on her mace before taking off. Wally patted John on the arm before speeding after her with a quick “good luck”.

A few minutes of blindly fighting aliens passed before Wally heard a beep in his ear. Someone was trying to reach him and only him, separate from the channel the League was using. He double tapped the button, accepting the call. 

“How’s the situation in New York?” A rough voice said. The sound of combat could faintly be heard over the line as well. 

“Well hello to you too,” Wally replied with a smirk as he skillfully avoided a lash from razor sharp claws. The only response was a grunt in his ear. He took a step back from the attacking alien only to trip over a broken bus-stop sign. He let out a soft grunt as he fell back, recovering only to find the alien pointing its weapon down at him and seeing it pull the trigger.

These were the times when it paid off to be the fastest man alive. He was easily able to flip his body back over his shoulder and out of harms way before the deadly ray could meet its mark. He ran in quick tight circles around the alien, creating a funnel of wind that lifted it up off its feet and high into the air. Once he deemed it high enough, he skidded to a stop, letting him fall with a shriek.

“What was that?” Wally heard in his ear. Oh yeah, he’d almost forgotten about Bruce. 

“Nothing important. Situation here is…” He trailed off, looking around. He watched Shayera drop another alien off the bridge before turning around and flying toward at a ship bring more down to Earth, mace crackling and ready to swing. Frowning, he finished, “…it could be better.”

“Superman and Green Lantern have found the control room, J’onn is telepathically instructing them in reworking the ship’s coordinates. It should only be a few minutes longer at most. After that you and the others will have to finish off the aliens that are already on Earth. Diana and I are working on that here. We’ll rendezvous with you in a few hours.”

“Got it, how much longer until the ship is out of here?” He hadn’t seen any more pods leave the mothership in a few minutes, which seems promising. Leave it to Supes and GL to have the insight to take them out while on a stealth mission.

“I’d estimate less than a minute. I’ll see you soon… Be safe.” Bruce said in place of other words. Surrounded by violence and destruction, the redhead couldn’t help but smile. He knew what the other man meant. 

“Always.” He knew Bruce, the world’s greatest detective, would be able to pick up the double meaning in his words. With a click of button, he ended the call. His faint smile hadn’t yet faded when a blast of heat and pain suddenly struck him in the back, sending him flying forward. The concrete dug into the palms of his hands and the side of his face for just a second before he recovered and flipped around to face his attacker, only to find that he’d already been taken care of. Hawkgirl’s mace was discarded near him, and she flew down to retrieve it before offering Wally her hand. Accepting it, he let her pull him to her feet, wincing slightly and the new burns on his back were jostled. 

“Stay alert. We can’t afford to lose you.” He scolded softly. Well, as softly as a warrior like Hawkgirl was capable of. He shook it off and went right to teasing. 

“Right now, or ever?” He joked, earning him a shove on the arm. 

“Both. Now come on, we can’t rest yet.” Her wings began to move as she took flight.

“What? You gettin’ sleepy?” He shouted after her and she couldn’t help a smile. She continued her flight until she was startled into a sudden stop. The noise they’d heard three times already today. The cannon. It was being aimed. What were Superman and GL doing? Had they failed, been captured? They needed to stop it.

“Shay! Go!” Flashed shouted, the urgency evident in his tone. This seemed to shock the look of dread and disbelief off of her face, and she took off full speed towards the ship. Unable to fly, Wally took off across the city, towards the direction where the massive weapon was pointed. He clicked on his comm link with Shayera and didn’t have to wait long for her to open her channel as well. When she’d reached the ship, she used her momentum and her mace to smash right through the wall. GL had directed her to the control room where he and Superman were. The Man of Steel was still working with J’onn to send the ship away. They’d experienced issues after discovering that this ship was different than the other, which was the cause of the delay. 

They were so concentrated on that that they’d failed to notice that one of the aliens was not completely down, and it had managed to crawl up to the controls and enter the code to fire their most destructive weapon. John and Clark hadn’t even noticed until they felt the ship shift and heard the sounds of the large machinery moved into place. Shayera’s voice over the comm had informed them what was happening, and a blast of green light took out the straggler. Shayera and John hovered over the monitor, trying to find a way to stop the weapon from firing. 

“Have you found the target?!” Flash shouted over the comms. He’d managed to take out a few aliens in the meantime, but his main concern right now was this weapon and minimizing the casualties from it. The unmistakable sound of the weapon powering up was making him anxious. Every second that passed with him in the dark was another person he may not have time to save.

“It looks like its locked on the skyscraper overlooking Central Park,” John informed him. “do a quick run through for civilians.” He turned to Shayera, looking frustrated at his failure. 

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to stop it,” he said, shaking his head, “I’ve tried everything.” A defeated moment passed before Shayera’s grip tightened on the handle of her mace once again. She and John’s eyes met, hers more determined than ever.

“Not everything.”

“We don’t know if that will work,” John said calmly, a hand gently holding her arm down. 

“We don’t know that it won’t. What other choice do we have?!” It was obvious on his face that John was having an internal debate with himself. After a look back at Superman, who was still telepathically linked with J’onn, the screen showing the target locked on the towering building, the countdown until it fired, which was suddenly in single digits, he finally came to a decision.

“Do it,” he ordered, releasing her arm. She nodded, understanding that John was not comfortable taking a risk like this, but was also aware they didn’t really have another option. With a shout, she lifted her mace over her head and down onto the controls a few times, crushing the metal and glass, shattering the screens, and sending sparks into the air around it. The sound of the cannon charging to fire stopped. They both let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. A light began blinking on the other side of the console, and John ran over to the screen. 

“It’s some kind of failsafe, a backup weapon,” he realized as five second countdown ended, and the weapon fired. Five large missiles were being fired, all targeted on the same building. The one Wally was in.

\---


	2. Collapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proof read, sorry for any mistakes!!

Flash zipped through the building looking for civilians. It was an 88-story building full of condos, and surely there were people who figured they would be safest in their homes and didn’t attempt to evacuate the city. Luckily, no aliens had made it up passed the second floor, so once he dealt with them, he could focus entirely on search and rescue. In the first 20 floors, he’d found a total of 18 people. He’d taken them down, out, and far enough away from the building that they’d be safe from any debris should it be the next victim of the cannon. An elderly couple on 34, a babysitter watching two children on 48. He’d gone almost 30 floors without seeing anyone when a call came in on his comm. 

“Flash, is the building evacuated?!” He heard GL shout.

“Working on it!” He answered, not missing a beat as he made the turn to go up the next flight of stairs.

“You need to get out of there now. Incoming missiles from the north,” and you know, he said that pretty calmly, all things considered. Must be a side effect of all that military training. 

“Just what I needed,” He thought as he checked the 85th floor, finding a family of four watching the event through the window. 

“C’mon guys, let’s get you out of here,” He said, holding a hand out, successfully coming across as non-threatening. He took the two children first, a redhead girl and a blonde boy. He looked over to the two women by the window, presumably the children’s mothers. 

“I’ll be back in a flash!” He said before zipping away, and down eighty-five flights of stairs, handing the kids off to a paramedic on the street. 

“Here, hold these for a sec,” was all he said before zipping back up the building and coming down with a woman who was more than happy to take the children back from the emergency worker. In seconds, the family was reunited on the street, the children ecstatic about finally getting to meet the Flash. He didn’t have time to spend with them right now as the missiles were closing in on the building and gaining speed. He still had three floors left and a quick glance at the incoming projectiles let him know that he didn’t have much time left. Faster than ever before, he sprinted up the steps, pushing off the opposite walls to save time changing directions.

86th floor, clear. 87th floor, clear. 88th, cle- no, not clear! Definitely not clear! Without a second thought, he grabbed the kid, who was maybe 12 or 13 years old, and took off. Once outside and a few blocks away, he set the boy down, who looked as if he hadn’t even realized what happened. 

“Are you okay?” He said quickly, while the boy looked at him in awe, stunned as he tried to wrap his head around what just happened. His head slowly nodded that he was okay and Flash let out a sigh of relief that was short lived as the kid’s eyes widened. 

“My sister!” He shouted as he pointed up at the building. Wally’s eyes widened in horror and shock, he hadn’t seen anyone else in the room. Maybe she was in a different room? A glance at the sky told him that he was going to be pushing it, even for at his fastest. But what choice did he have? After confirming that a police officer was coming to watch the kid, he took off for what would be his last trip up these stairs, hoping he had enough time to get back down them. The distance wasn’t the issues, it was the constant turning after every flight that was slowing him down. 

He entered through the door he’d neglected to shut behind him on his last trip and scanned the room, seeing nobody. There, a closed door looked like it led to a bedroom. He blew through the door, seeing a young girl with shoulder length brown hair sound asleep on the bed, completely oblivious to everything going on outside. As gently as he could, he scooped her up, blankets and all. She was tiny, couldn’t have been older than four or five. Why had these two been left home alone? Not that his father hadn’t left him alone at the same age, but the situation seemed different. Surely if their parents could afford the penthouse of a building this size in downtown Manhattan, they could afford to pay a nanny to watch the kids when they were out. As he ran out the bedroom door, he glanced out the massive window in the living room. While it wasn’t an ideal place to live for anyone with a fear of heights, the view of the city was incredible. Or, it would’ve been, if it hadn’t been blocked out by the first missile inches from the glass. He held the girl tighter and ran out the door, headed for the stairwell.

“Flash! Tell me that building’s clear! Where are you?!” He heard in his ear, but he couldn’t reply as he lost his footing as the building shook above and below them. He was able to turn his body so his back slammed into the back of the concrete wall, taking the majority of the blow and keeping the girl safe. She startled awake in his arms at the impact, but he just readjusted his grip and stood back up, moving just as a chunk of concrete landed where they’d been before. She screamed, having no idea what was going on or who this man was, and as much as he wanted to comfort her, he really didn’t have the time right now. The building shook and he headed down the stairs once more.

Back on the ship, Superman finally broke from telepathic link with J’onn. Shayera and John were already headed out the hole she’d made earlier. With a touch of his own superspeed, he was easily able to catch up. Behind them, the ship was already flying away, back into space and to the distant coordinates that Clark had programmed. 

“Do you see him?” Shayera yelled, searching the street for her scarlet-clad friend. Another missile slammed into the top third of the building, sending a half-dozen floors up in flames. The momentum of the blast caused the top part to fall apart, sending thousands of pounds of concrete and flaming debris toward the street below. Green Lantern willed his ring to capture as much of the debris as he could in green light, while Superman and Hawkgirl swooped down to pull the people on the street out of harms way. 

Meanwhile, after losing his footing once again Wally had made it down to the 38th floor. The girl was scared, crying, trying to hide in the blankets, as anyone would expect of her. He could see the sign marking the 37th floor just before he felt the building shake again and the floor fall out from beneath his feet. He was falling. They were falling. He held her as tight as her could. It was unbelievably loud yet silent around him at the same. He could see orange and yellow and grey in blurs and he thought just maybe he may have caught a glimpse of the sun before everything went black.

\--

The building collapsing looked like a clip from one of those September 11th documentaries. Once the last missile hit towards the bottom, around the 16th floor, the structure above it crumbled. The three heroes in the air had to hover back as the smoke and ash floating in the air became too much to breathe through.

“Flash cleared the building, right?” Clark said, turning towards the others, unsure of what he’d missed when he’d been working with J’onn. John and Shay looked at each other, fear of the uncertain clear on their faces. She swallowed back the sick feeling in her stomach as she gazed back at what used to be a home to hundreds of people and reached up to her ear to click her comm back on. 

“Flash. Flash, do you copy?” They all waited in silence, holding their breath. Nothing. 

“Wally!” John shouted, eyes franticly searching the city for a blur of red. 

“Superman, Lantern, come in. What’s going on?” Diana’s voice came through. On the Javelin, the other three members were completely oblivious. They’d finished up the majority of the aliens in China, and once they were assured that the military and police had things under control, they headed off towards the bigger invasion back in the states. It’d been relatively quiet on comms until they heard Shayera shouting their teammate’s name with more fear in her voice than they could ever remember hearing before. After a few beats of no answer to Diana’s question, Bruce grew impatient. If something had happened to Wally, he needed to know.

“Clark!” He barked sharply, his tone desperate but well hidden behind false anger. It was enough to shake Clark out of his silence. 

“He…he might…was he in there?” Clark managed to say, directing the question to the two heroes hovering to his side, his voice barely above a whisper. He had to choke the words out around the lump forming in his throat, which worsened at the look they gave him, confirming his fears. 

“Where? Superman, where is Flash?” Diana pressed, trying to get more information out of them. They were still over an hour away at their top speed. In the back of Clark’s mind, he knew he shouldn’t leave them in the dark about this, but he couldn’t bring himself to put it into words. He knew how much Wally meant to everyone, especially Bruce. He looked down again as what used to be a building, standing over 1,000 feet tall, a home to hundreds of people. Tons and tons and concrete, plaster, glass; he couldn’t imagine anyone being alive under all of that, but he’d never admit that out loud.

“Just…get here fast,” He knew he’d regret it, but he reached up and switched his comm off, cutting off communication between him and the javelin. He took a deep breath and took off towards to the pile of debris, hoping they wouldn’t find their friend in there, that he was somewhere safe and his comm was just damaged. But, since when do things ever go their way?

\--

“Clark!” Bruce yelled, the only response being silence. Everything about his anger was real now, as he clenched his jaw and slammed his gloved fist down on the console in front of him. Something was wrong with Wally. He was hurt, or missing, or dead- no. He couldn’t be. 

“J’onn, can you tap into his mind?” He asked, pretending to fully invest in flying the ship though it was on autopilot. 

“Not from this distance without him actively trying to reach out to me as well,” He answered immediately, as if he’d already been thinking about it. He felt a hand on his shoulder in what he assumed was meant to be comforting gesture, and without even looking he knew it was Diana. Months ago, he would have surely shrugged it off and sent a glare over his shoulder, but a certain redhead had been tirelessly bugging him to open up more, at least with his teammates. He hadn’t thought that it worked, but evidently it had some effect on him, as he felt comfortable accepting the gesture. He took a deep breath and nodded, not quite sure if he was trying to assure himself or Diana that he was okay.

\----

“Anything?!” Shayera shouted to the others as she searched. She was doing what she could to move large pieces of debris, but the sheer magnitude of the rubble was unreal. It would’ve taken her days to search through it all this way. Luckily, John had his ring and Clark has an arsenal of different visions to help with the search. They were both also capable of moving a lot more wreckage a lot faster. 

“My ring hasn’t picked up on anything yet,” John said. He continued scanning the massive pile, the dust still settling around them. Visibility still wasn’t great, and the air was difficult to breathe, but they had no idea where their friend was, so putting off the search wasn’t an option. They’d manage.

“No-! Let me go! Elena!” a desperate voice was shouting, screaming, from down the road. A boy was running towards to destruction, well, trying to run towards it. He was pulling the police officer down the road with him, who had a firm grip on his wrist and was trying to keep him back. Superman picked up on it and looked to the others.

“Keep searching,” He told them, knowing Flash would never want them to ignore someone in distress in favor of looking for him, as much as it pained him to stop.

“My sister was in there! Get off of me!” With a harsh twist of his wrist, he broke free of the officer’s grip and took off. 

“Elena!” He shouted, coughing through the smoke and dust.

“Where are you?!” He climbed up onto a slab of concrete and was about to shout again when a shadow cast over him. He looked up and his eyes widened, and Superman descended and landed in front of him. 

“It’s not safe for you to be here,” He explained, gently placing a hand on the kid’s shoulder. The kid shook his head frantically, tears welling up in his eyes.

“No, no, no, you don’t understand,” He shrugged Clark’s hand off and was trying to get around the massive man, but the Man of Steel was too fast for that and made sure to keep in front of him. 

“My sister was in there! The Flash brought me down and then he went to get her, and he didn’t come back and then the building fell down and I have to find her!” He spoke so fast it took Clark a moment to wrap his head around it.

“You saw Flash?” He asked, hoping he’d heard wrong. Deep down, he’d been hoping Wally hadn’t been in the building. But if there’d been a kid in there, or even a chance that somebody had been in the building and needed help, he knows Wally would’ve gone in, regardless of the missiles were and how close they were.

“We’ll look for them. You need to go with him,” He gestured to the police man who had caught up with them and was trying to not look star struck in front of members of the Justice League, “She’ll help you contact your parents.” He looked ready to argue but Superman cut him off. 

“The best way you can help us find her is by staying away from here. It’s too dangerous,” He said firmly, and that seemed to do that trick. When he was sure the kid was safe with the officer, he flew back up and tapped into his x-ray vision, scanning the area. 

“We’ve got confirmation that Flash was in the building when it came down and that there is a young girl unaccounted for,” he said. John and Shayera shared a look, not for the first time today, before looking back to Clark.

“You think she could’ve survived that?” Shayera asked carefully, but they all knew what she was really asking, but none of them would say aloud. Wally was still human, meta or not. Neither man chose to answer, not that Shayera was really expecting them to. 

The three continued searching until Clark shouted, “I hear something!”

The other two went to him, staying quiet as to not disguise whatever Clark could be hearing. He listened for a moment.

“It’s a heartbeat.”

“Wally?” Shayera asked, feeling hopeful for the first time in a while. He shook his head. 

“Too slow…but it could be the girl. Let’s go,” He said, moving in the direction the sound was coming from. Once they had a general idea of where to look, it didn’t take much longer to locate them with Clark’s vision and John’s ring. 

Clark lifted a large slab of concrete and set it to the side, while Shayera moved some support beams that had given way. Once they spotted a yellow boot that couldn’t belong to anyone else other than their friend, everything got a little blurry. If you ask Shayera about it later, all she really remembers is the blood. The debris under him, the soft blue blanket he held near his chest, the already red suit; everything was soaked in it. Clark had to lift another support beam up and off that was resting across his chest, pinning him down, and stop Shayera from moving a large shard of glass that was stuck between his two bottom ribs. The girl wasn’t with him anymore.

Clark could pinpoint that the heartbeat was coming from him and told Shayera such, but she reached for his neck to check anyway. She needed to feel it for herself. It was much weaker than she would’ve liked and much slower than was safe for a speedster, but he was alive. It was more than she had been expecting. His breath was harsh, his airway partially blocked due to what was sure to be severe internal bleeding. Seeing someone she loved struggle do so something as simple as breathe made her feel sick. 

His cowl was already torn, but Clark had pulled it off enough to see his face. A deep cut ran from his right cheekbone up to his hairline just above his ear, narrowly avoiding his eye. He’d done a once over with his x-ray vision, and he wasn’t sure he could even count the fractures on both hands. He added another as he checked the back of his head and then the gashed cheekbone. There would likely be a nasty bruise forming there soon. 

“We need to get him to the Watchtower,” Shayera said, trying to keep her voice even and she gently pushed the hair from the speedster’s forehead back behind his ear. It wouldn’t stay there, it wasn’t quite long enough, but she knew it was something he found comforting. Something his mother used to do when he was young, he’d once told her. 

“We need John. We don’t want to move him wrong and make anything worse. He can use his ring to make a stretcher,” Clark explained, knowing that was the right way to do it even if he couldn’t really imagine his friend being anymore injured than he already was. 

“He’s looking for the girl, we don’t have time-“ \\]op0i

“I found her. She’s with the paramedics,” And there John was, his face void of any emotion, ring already working to create a stretcher under Wally. He would’ve winced at the state his friend was in, but he’d knew how much worse it could’ve been. He just seen, moments before, how much worse it could’ve been.

It’s bad. They know it is, before even evaluating him at the watchtower. His right leg is completely shattered, his left somehow only bruised. Three chipped vertebrae, four ribs in several spots. His left shoulder, collarbone, and humorous are also fractured. The back of his skull and cracked cheekbone round out the bones. His body is littered with cuts and bruises, ranging anywhere from superficial to severe. Internally, there is one collapsed lung, a lacerated spleen, bruised liver, and what the watchtower doctors are calling a severe brain bleed. They’re trying to avoid emergency brain surgery, but if the swelling in his brain were to continue increasing, they wouldn’t really have another option. In his current state, they honestly aren’t sure he would make it through the operation.  
It’s been a few hours now, the alien invasion wrapped up and over with. All seven members of the Justice League had returned to the Watchtower now. Diana, Bruce, and J’onn had been contacted while the doctors had worked on Flash, giving him a blood transfusion to replace what he’d lost. They’d needed to go to New York and finish up, but the moment they touched down, Bruce had called for a jet and gone straight to Watchtower. They could handle the few aliens left without him. By the time he’d arrived, the doctors had done all they could for him. Two remained to monitor Flash and treat the other’s minor injuries, while the other three returned to Earth. After Clark explained everything, Shayera excused herself to get a coffee. As she headed out the door, John suggested she eat something as well. Bruce, minus the cowl, ran a hand through his hair and, with a sigh, collapsed heavily in her vacated seat.  
-  
When thirty minutes had passed and Shayera hadn’t returned, John began to worry. With a long glance at Wally to assure himself that the redhead wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, he stood from his seat. His muscles protested the movement, having been in the same position for hours. He exited the medbay and headed towards the kitchen, but changed course when he heard voices coming from the monitor room. He peeked his head in and found the female redhead slumped in a chair, hand over her mouth. The voices were coming from the monitor in front of her.  
“…the attack devastated thousands of homes and businesses throughout the city. You can see right behind me, what was once home to hundreds of people is now nothing but a pile of rubble. Eye-witness reports claim that weapons fired from the ship shortly before it left the area was the cause of the building’s collapse. The same witnesses reported that two people were inside the building at the time of its collapse: Justice League member, The Flash, and an unnamed child, who we have now confirmed, did not survive the incident. The Justice League has not yet released a statement on the status of Central City’s hero, but-“  
The screen suddenly went black and startled the winged women, who turned around to see John setting the remote down on the table. He noticed the tears threatening to fall in her eyes. He’d never seen her cry before.  
“You shouldn’t be watching that,” He said, walking towards her as she stood from her seat. She shrugged.  
“I’m just trying to get my mind off of it,” She explained, to which he gave a skeptical look. He almost laughed.  
“There are more effective ways to do that than watching the news coverage of it,” He countered with a smirk, trying to lighten to mood after the day they’ve had.  
“Not it…him,” She corrected herself. John winced, hoping to not have to think about the terrible state of his best friend for a few minutes. He needed to stay positive, for both their sakes.  
“He’ll pull through, he always does,”  
“He’s never been this bad before,” she reasons, and he knows she right. They’ve had injuries, more than they can keep track of. But nothing to this extent. It was a painful reminder of just how human some of them were. He took a deep breath and nodded.  
“All we can do right now is…wait and hope that he’ll start healing soon. We’re lucky he’s alive at all.”  
“Lucky?” She asked, baffled. She nearly laughed in his face. “I dropped a building on him, John. I nearly killed him. I know you remember what happens if he dies. Only this time, it won’t be Luther’s fault. It’ll be mine.” And with that, the tears broke free, streaming down her face. John pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her, a hand buried in her auburn hair. After a few minutes he pulled back, holding her firmly but gently by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him and hear what he had to say.  
“Listen to me. What happened to Wally was not your fault. You did what you needed to do, what we both hoped would work. You know he would never blame you, or even let anyone else blame you for this. He’s more than aware that…you don’t always get to walk away after a mission.” He trailed off after that, remembering how hard Barry’s death had been. The league hadn’t been formed yet, but he’d met Flash and Kid Flash through fellow Lantern, Hal Jordan. Hal and Wally had both had a rough time, and eventually Hal had decided to leave Earth, leaving him to take over. After a minute, Shayera nodded, accepting his words. She knew he was right, Wally would throw a fit if he knew she was trying to blame this on herself. Or just refuse to leave her alone until she accepted that it wasn’t her fault. That sounds more like him.  
“Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” He said with an arm around her shoulders, directing her towards the kitchen.  
-  
“He isn’t healing.” Bruce pointed out to the doctor. Usually bruises and cuts were completely gone mere hours after the speedster received them, a day or two at most for the really nasty ones. None of his numerous injuries have shown any signs of healing.  
“It probably doesn’t know where to start,” Clark joked, trying to lighten to mood. The look Bruce gave him told him that he either wasn’t in the mood, or that it was too soon. Probably both. The doctors had put a tube down his throat, supposedly to help him breathe, and it seemed bulky and out of place. His cheek and eyelid were a dark purple color and stood out compared to his unnaturally pale skin, as well as the jaw on the opposite side of his face.  
“He’s not out of the woods yet. The swelling in his brain hasn’t gotten any worse, but it hasn’t shown any signs of receding either. The longer this persists, the higher the risk of permanent brain damage.” The doctor explained, holding a stethoscope to Wally’s chest, listening to his breathing. Though it was the ventilator keeping him breathing, his airway did sound much clearer than it had when he first came in.  
Bruce was quiet while the doctor finished his round, making sure the redhead was a stable as he could be at the moment. He was broken from his thoughts by a knock at the door.  
“The media’s requested a statement,” Diana said, voice steady but her eyes sad as she took in the state of the man who was like family to her. She walked in the room and over to his bed, resting her hand over his.  
“The media can wait,” Clark said. As a reporter, he knows how eager they were for any information, but as a friend of the injured hero, he wasn’t ready to talk about it with them yet. Diana nodded, that being the answer she was expecting. Bruce stood, heading for the door, pulling a different comm link out of a compartment on his belt.  
“Where are you going?” Clark asked, surprised. He hadn’t been expecting Bruce to leave this room for days. The raven-haired man could feel both of their gazes on his back. He didn’t stop.  
“I need to make a call.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	3. Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some problems even the Justice League can't solve alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very short chapter, only about 2k works, but the red hasn't even been looked over yet for any giant mistakes but I realized I forgot to post last week like I said I would. My bad! More to come if you like it!

-  
The weather was beautiful in Jump City, the sky clear and blue with only a few clouds scattered about. The temperature warm, but the slightest breeze preventing it from being uncomfortably so. High in the sky, two large ships were entering the atmosphere, descending towards a large T-shaped building in the middle of the bay. The Titans had been gone for days, handling a distress call on the far side of the galaxy. Two days in, they’d called the Titans East in for back-up. Now, they were returning to the main team’s tower to debrief and relax together for a bit.  
“Man, it’s good to be home!” Cyborg exclaimed, stretching his metallic muscles after the long trip. As he exited the ship, a small green monkey leapt onto his shoulder before jumping off and landing in front of him, transforming back into a pointy-eared human.  
“Race ‘ya to the game station!” He shouted with a playful grin on his face before turning and running toward the door that would lead to the rest of the tower. He barely heard his best friend agree with “You’re on!” before transforming into an equally green cheetah. Cyborg never stood a chance.  
“I too wish to partake in the gaming!” The redhead alien exclaimed joyfully, flying after her teammates, while the two youngest members of the Titans East followed her with heart eyes. Raven was about to levitate down from her spot in the ship when she noticed someone nearby. On the ground, a certain tall, dark haired Atlantean was waiting for her, hand offered out to her. Her hood was down and she wasn’t able to help the small smile the slipped onto her face and she took his hand and allowed him to help her down.  
“You’re probably dying to play video games too, huh?” He said, a mock serious expression on his face, while he pushed a piece of violet hair behind her ear. She’d let it grow out a bit, so it stopped well below her shoulders.  
“You know me so well,” She replied, with a hand on his chest, her voice dripping with satire. He wasn’t able to keep up the act and a short laugh burst through, and he leaned down to kiss her.  
“We get it, you’re perfect,” the team’s archer commented offhandedly, resulting in a glare from the couple and a firm grip on his ear yanking him towards to the door courtesy of his leader. Raven and Aqualad were headed for the door as well, but she stopped as she felt strong emotions coming from her friend and leader. She stopped, prompting her boyfriend to stop as well as he looked back at her, only to see her looking at Robin. He was looking at a communicator that was buzzing in his hand, one that she’d never seen before. It was grey, with the symbol of The Batman on it.  
“Robin,” She said, getting his attention, “you okay?” She gave him a look and he knew that she was aware of everything he felt right now. He nodded, gripping the communicator a little tighter.  
“I just need to take this,” when the two looked to each other and hesitated, he followed up with, ”It’s probably nothing,” He lied, and he knew that she knew it, but wouldn’t press the issue.  
“Come on, I’m going to go make us some tea,” Garth placed a hand on her back, gently guiding her toward the door, knowing Dick needed to be alone for this. When the door finally close behind them, the young man sighed, not looking forward to this. He hadn’t properly spoken to Bruce in months. They’d had a huge fight when he’d discovered that Batman had found a new Robin to replace him, then not soon later he discovered that Bruce was dating again. Which normally wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that he was dating Dick’s best friend, who was only a few years older than him, and twelve years younger than Bruce. He and Wally had talked it out (because Heaven knows that speedster won’t let anyone stay upset with him for long), and he’s spoken with Alfred as well, and he’d actually come to terms with the whole thing. They were good for each other. Call him stubborn, but he just wanted Bruce to be the one to reach out to him and apologize for keeping secrets. Which really, is why it’s taken so long. Finally, he flipped open the screen on the communicator and was met with face of his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne.  
He looked…rough, to put it simply. His hair was unruly, looking like he’d repeatedly been running his fingers through it. His eyes looked tired and stressed, probably both. Dick could’ve sworn they looked a little red but knew better than to point it out. He took a deep breath, preparing the break the silence, when Bruce beat him to it.  
“Dick,” He started, voice low but steady. If Dick didn’t know him as well as he did, hadn’t lived and worked with him for over ten years, he may not have been able to tell that something was off. Of course, something was wrong, why else would Bruce be choosing now to talk to him, after all this time?  
“What’s going on?” He didn’t want to beat around the bush. He’d help with whatever it was, of course he would. At the end of the day, they would always be on each other’s side, even if they weren’t on the best of terms right now. Maybe he needed to drop by the Manor soon, hash things out in person. He did miss Alfred, and he knows the man would make cookies if he knew Dick was coming. Bruce hesitated on the other line, which only solidified Dick’s predication that something wasn’t right. He was always sure, never hesitant.  
“Your friend…Raven. What is the extent of her healing powers?” Robin’s eyebrows furrowed at the unexpected question, while his heart rate sped up.  
“You’re hurt?” He asked, though he knew that wasn’t the case. Bruce would never ask for help if it were him.  
“…No.” The Dark Knight replied, and Dick heart sank.  
“Wally?” Bruce confirmed his fears with a grunt and a nod. It had to be bad. Wally had accelerated healing of his own, nothing had ever kept him in the medbay longer than a few days. He pushed aside questions of what happened and when to focus on his biggest concern.  
“He’s not healing?” Dick asked, and Bruce shook his head.  
“He hasn’t shown any signs of improvement in the few hours since he arrived at the Watchtower. The doctors fear that without intervention, the damage will be permanent, possibly fatal. Surgery was proposed, but…” Bruce trailed off and Dick’s wince at the thought of trying to put the speedster under anesthesia. It was a precise science, one that has yet to be understood.  
“I’ll go find-“ he started, only to be interrupted by the door suddenly sliding open. He looked away from the communicator to find Roy, his hands each side of the doorway and his eyes wide under his mask. His usual calm exterior was replaced with a panicked one.  
“Dude, you’ve got to see this,” was all he said, and with a quick glance at Bruce, he ended the transmission and both boys headed for the living room.  
-  
The remainder of the Titans and Titans East were gathered in the front of the TV, all thoughts of video games and herbal tea forgotten. They’d missed a lot while they were away. On the screen was an international news report, recapping the invasion that had just taken place. Clips showed thousands of aliens coming to Earth, people cowering in fear or running for their lives, as of course, the Justice League fighting.  
“Turn it up,” Speedy commanded as he reentered the room with Robin in tow. Beast Boy complied, using the remote control to increase the volume, his face unusually serious and grim.  
“…The two major cities targeted by the attack, Shanghai, China, and New York City are in shambles, with countless homes and businesses destroyed and thousands of people injured, dead, or missing. The alien forces were met head on by our very own Justice League, who fought valiantly and were eventually able to send the invaders away, but not before they inflicted devastating damage to the area. We’ve received eyewitness reports and video footage confirming the collapse of Rookwood Condominiums, the 4th tallest building in the city, that claim it was hit by some sort of weapon from the invader’s vessel immediately before its departure. There is one confirmed casualty from this area, but multiple reports say that world renowned hero, The Flash, was also in the building at the time of collapse. We’ve reached out to the Justice League for information on the attack and The Flash’s condition, but they’ve yet to respond or release any kind of statement regarding the events…”  
The air was tense in the room, nobody wanting to speak and miss something potentially important. Garth gently squeezed Raven’s arm, knowing she was likely being bombarded by the emotions of everybody in the room: shock, sadness, anger, fear. When the woman finished speaking and they news report went live to the aftermath on the streets of Shanghai, Suddenly, all thoughts of video games, food, rest, anything went out the door. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, Aqualad, Raven, and Bumble Bee started discussing who was going to help in which city, while Robin was surprisingly quiet. Mas shared an identical nervous look with his twin brother before pulling on Speedy’s arm to get his attention.  
“El Señor rápido estará bien, ¿no?” The younger boy asked him, and his heart sank just a little bit more. Those two boys looked up to Flash as a role model, wanted to be just like him. And Wally loved the little guys. And really, when you can do almost anything (including using an English-Spanish dictionary) at the speed of light, what’s a language barrier?  
Roy wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know anything about Wally’s condition, he just found out that he was hurt, but he didn’t want them to worry while there were people out there who needed their help. He looked at Dick for help. The leader’s lips were a thin line. He didn’t have anything to say to help.  
“I’m sure he’ll be fine, guys. Go with Bee.” He told them with a forced smile, trying his best to not let his worry for his friend show. The elder three members of Titans East were only a few years older than the twins, but they all took on an older sibling role for them. Menos pulled on Mas’ arm to get him to follow while Roy went to Dick, who had pulled Raven and Aqualad aside and was talking quietly to her.  
“Of course,” He heard her reply to whatever her leader had said, and Garth’s dark eyes couldn’t hide the concern on his face. Robin turned to address the teams.  
“Titans, listen up. A lot happened while we were away, and we’re going to do what we can to help in the aftermath. Help the police, firefighters, military, and citizens. Find survivors, help with the clean up, whatever you can do,” He motioned toward Bumble Bee, “Bee and Cyborg will lead, so whatever they say goes. Call me only if there’s an emergency.” Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged a confused glance,  
“Where will you be?” Robin had already pulled out the communicator from his chat with Bruce.  
“We’re needed at the Watchtower.”  
“Awh man! How come you get to go-  
“You know your assignments. Go.” And suddenly, Robin didn’t seem to be in the mood for anything. He pressed a button on the side of communicator and glanced at his friends.  
“Brace yourselves.”  
The others barely had an opportunity to send a puzzled glance his way before they felt the unfamiliar tingling of the teleporter doing its job.  
“What the-“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take the time to let me know what you life, what you don't like, what surprised you, etc below in the comments!


	4. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newcomers on the Watchtower

“-hell?” Roy finished as his molecules reconnected. The feeling was…bizarre, if he had to put it in words. None of them had been to the watchtower before or used the teleporters. Raven’s able to teleport on her own, thought this came with a different feeling altogether. She felt a hand on her shoulder and knew without looking that it was just Garth. He was always touching her, whether they were alone, at home, in public, it didn’t matter. Nothing “inappropriate” for the situation, just a hand on her bicep, knee, wrist, whatever was close and comfortable. They found that it helped keep them both calm and grounded, so Raven hardly complained. Robin looked around, confirming everyone had made it.   
“Robin.” A deep voice said, and the four turned towards the control station, where J’onn Jonnz stood, watching the monitors. The voice hadn’t come from the Martian, but the masked figure standing to his right. Raven was the only one of the four who’d yet to meet Batman. Of course, the Dark Knight could write books on what he knew about her. Especially when Robin had informed him of the whole “end of the world” debacle, after the fact. He knew just how powerful this girl was, and while he respected her and her decision to do good instead of following her prophesized destiny, he also feared her (not that he would ever admit that).   
“Batman.” Dick said, facing his mentor. His face was stoic, shoulders tense, and back stiff and the Bat approached them. He stopped a few feet away, glancing the group over.   
“You brought company.” Was all he said. Roy’s eyes narrowed behind his mask and he took a step forward, daring the Bat to tell him to leave. Green Arrow wasn’t a member of the League yet, but not due to lack of trying. They’d asked him numerous times but he’d yet to make a final decision. They weren’t rushing him though. There was a spot for him whenever he wanted it. Aquaman was technically a member of the League, but he’d only been to watchtower once or twice, and never attended any of their weekly meetings. But he did have several oceans to protect and rule over and made it clear that his people and home were his priority. Garth simply put his other hand on Raven’s other shoulder, trying to respectfully show that he was here for her as well as Wally.   
“I did. Where’s Wally?” Robin said firmly, not giving an inch. Garth, Roy, and he were some of Wally’s best friends; they’d grown up together, played the sidekick game together, become heroes together. If his condition was really as bad as it sounded, bad enough they hadn’t given the media a statement yet, there was nothing that would keep them away. Raven only had fond memories of the redhead from some of his visits to their home. He’d always gone out of his way to make sure she was comfortable, appreciated, and tried to make her laugh. He’d flirt, of course he would. With the others too, that was just his personality. He’d been one of their many honorary Titans though he was a few years older than most of the others; not really a teen anymore. He had just refused the offer to become the leader of the forming Titans South team, claiming that he was Barry’s partner, and didn’t want to leave him. It wasn’t a month later that Barry left him and he’d left the Titans altogether to become The Flash. Another year, and The Justice League had formed. Their speedster had found a new team.  
While I gave you some backstory there, Batman and Robin were still locked in a tense stare-off. Garth glanced over at Roy, wondering if there was something he should do or say to break the uncomfortable moment. Roy just shrugged, not sure how to handle these two. Luckily, Bruce broke the silence, sighing and looking towards the violet haired girl.   
“Raven. I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said, looking her over. It was a habit, looking for weapons or signs the person was a threat. He noticed Garth’s grip tighten just a fraction and when he looked up at the Atlantean, he would go as far as to say the look on his face was almost threatening. Raven sent Dick a look, who just shrugged, before turning back to Batman.   
“Likewise.” Now it was Batman’s turn to send Dick a look, who was now looking exasperated at Raven. The Dark Knight didn’t seem fazed, he just reached up and pulled his cowl off, revealing the face of Bruce Wayne. The three Titans that weren’t his adopted child took a second to take in the news while Dick cleared his throat.   
“I didn’t tell her that,” Dick clarified, trying to break the tension a bit. The edge of Bruce’s lip quirked up just a bit, but Dick, being the World’s Second-Best Detective, didn’t miss it. Before anyone else could say anything, Bruce heard a very faint voice. Realizing it was coming from the cowl hanging from his neck, he picked the comm out and placed it back in his ear, turning away from the group of older teens as he listened. The other’s waited anxiously until he was finished.   
“We’ll be right there.” He said, his voice sounding more like Batman than Bruce. He turned back towards Raven.   
“Come with me. The rest of you can wait here.” He said, gesturing toward the control station where there were several unoccupied chairs.   
“Not a chance in hell, Bats. We’re coming.” Roy said, stepping forward without a moment of hesitation. Bruce glared at the redhead, but it wasn’t nearly as effective out of the cowl. Speedy wasn’t backing down and Bruce really didn’t have it in him to argue with him. With a single nod, he turned and starting towards the med bay, the four younger heroes following close behind him.   
“Our biggest concern at the moment is the damage to his head. If the swelling doesn’t improve soon it could lead to permanent brain damage.” Bruce explained as they walked.   
“Assuming that’s not already the case,” Roy said, not one to beat around the bush or sugarcoat anything. Bruce and Dick simultaneously shot him a glare. They may not be biologically related, but none would be the wiser looking at them now.   
“What?! You saw the same video I did, we’re lucky he’s alive at all!” His voice got louder with every word as his anger climbed. Something was up with him. Roy was usually pretty laid back unless someone seriously screwed him over. Garth lived with the guy, had for a few years now, and could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d seen him this upset. He caught a look that Robin was giving him and nodded, stepping in front of Roy.   
“Come on man, let’s take a second. You guys go on, we’ll catch up.” He said calmly, sending Raven an “I’ve got this” look. She nodded and followed Batman along with Robin.   
“I don’t need-“ Roy argued, trying to push passed the Atlantean, but he non-threateningly grabbed hold of the archer’s biceps and help him in place, pushing him back a few steps. Sometimes people forgot that Aqualad had enhanced strength, but it was easy to remember when the guy had an iron grip on his arms.   
“Yes, you do. You’re not helping anybody right now.” Garth looked at him, his features stern and jaw tight. He held Roy still, forcing him to take some deep breathes and calm down a bit. When he seemed to be okay, Garth loosened his grip and released him.   
“It’s okay to be scared.” Roy’s face morphed to a scowl at that, and he turned away, looking out the window of the long hallway. He was always amazed by space, every time a mission took them here. He never thought his first time in the Watchtower would feel this way. This feeling of dread, like he’s waiting for something bad to happen, for someone to tell him he’s never going to talk to Wally again. Or that Wally will never be the same person again, or the Flash again, or- He sensed more than saw Aqualad move to stand nearby, and when he focused again, he saw the Atlantean’s reflection in the window.   
“I’m not sure how to deal with this.” He finally admitted. He wasn’t ready to have to deal with this. Of course, they all knew the possibility of something happening to one of them was always there. He always thought that he’d be able to handle it. But now that the possibility of losing one of his best friends was here, he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to.   
“First, we need to go find out exactly what we are dealing with. We can’t give up on him.” Aqualad said, putting a hand on the archer’s shoulder, much gentler than he gripped him before. Something about those words got to the archer. He’d never give up on Wally, even if by default that’s where his mind was going right now. Wally had been there for him during the worst time of his life. Refused to give up on him even after everyone else had. Even after he’d given up on himself. To be fair, Dick and Garth were right alongside the speedster, but he’d bet his life it was Wally that kept them from throwing in the towel as well. Wally had saved his life and not just in battle. Until then, Roy had just been looking at his friend via reflection. Now, he turned to look at Garth. His voice was quiet when he spoke.   
“I’ll never give up on him.”  
Garth smiled at him gently and used the hand on his shoulder to pull him away from the window and back in the direction the others had gone.   
\--  
Just as Batman was entering the code to open the med bay door, it slid open on its own. Robin and Raven looked up, as standing in the doorway was Superman. Clark’s brow furrowed a bit.   
“Who’s this?” He asked. Walking up behind him was Wonder Woman. The sound of voices were coming from down the opposite hallway from the one they came from, as John and Shayera made their way back from the Cafeteria. Raven was tempted to put her hood up, not one to enjoy being the center of attention. Especially when that attention was coming from the a few of the greatest superheroes in the universe, and you’d recently had a part in the world nearly coming to an end. She refrained, not wanting to look like she was hiding anything.   
“This is Raven. She’s on the Titans with Robin.”  
“Welcome.” Diana said, her tone pleasant. She sent Raven a smile as well, hoping to ease the younger women’s nerves.   
“She’s going to try to help him through the worst of it,” Bruce explained, and though the other two League members weren’t entirely sure what he meant by that, Clark stepped back from the doorway.   
“Please, by all means.” He said, gesturing for them to enter the room. As he entered the room and caught sight of his best friend lying on the bed, Dick felt like a hand was in his chest. Like it was just wrapping around whatever it could find and squeezing. Wally wasn’t supposed to look like this. He was supposed to be smiling and happy, running, eating, talking, whatever. Anything was better than this. He looked broken. He must have stopped walking because a hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him from his mind.   
“He looks worse than he is,” Clark said, and they both knew it was a lie, but neither cared. It was a lie they both needed to hear. He glanced toward Raven, who was near the patient with Batman.   
“What is it she can do for him?” He asked, trying to make conversation with the Dark Knight’s protégé. The League wasn’t technically affiliated with the Titans at this time, but Batman trusted them, so Clark didn’t really take much time to keep tabs on them. He knew there were five members on the main team and that there was a team on the East side of the country as well, and maybe a few more popping up here and there. As long as they were doing good and helping people, he decided to just let them be. Maybe if they ever expanded the League, they’d talk about joining the teams together. But until then, they all seem content with the way things are.   
“She has healing powers. To an extent, but she’s been working to improve them.” Robin explained. He wouldn’t say it, but he enjoyed the impressed look on Superman’s face. This was his team and he was proud of them.  
“Hopefully she can get things moving in the right direction here.” Clark said hopefully. Then, “What else can she do?” as the two watched as Batman stepped back, letting Raven take the place at the head of the bed. As Raven began, Robin divulged and answered Clark’s questions about his team.  
Raven took a deep breath, shuttering a bit as she let it out. She took a long look at the redhead, reaching a delicate hand out to push his hair back, unbeknownst to her that not much earlier Shayera had done the same thing. She hadn’t seen him in a while, well over a year. She couldn’t help but wonder if he looked any different, older, more mature, since becoming the Flash, if his personality had changed. She hoped she’d get the chance to find out. With sad eyes, she glanced up at the beeping machines, counting his heart rate and respirations. The sorceress’ left hand came around and found a spot on the speedster’s face, right hand doing the same near his right temple. Another deep breath and then-   
“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.”  
Any and all chatter in the room silenced as she softly spoke her mantra, all eyes on the pair as her hands began to emit a light blue glow. Her eyes reopened, only for the others to find that they were completely white, glowing as well. Robin didn’t seem concerned, which they took as a sign that this was a normal occurrence.   
“What the hell is-,” An angry voice started, only to be cut off by Clark and Diana. It was John, Shayera close behind. Diana pulled the two back towards the door to explain who this was and what she was doing. That was when Aqualad and Speedy made their reappearance, only causing more confusion, as Diana didn’t know these two were aboard the tower. While she didn’t’ know much about Raven, she had heard of Garth and Roy, as they were protégées of fellow comrades. That still didn’t explain why they were here. Apparently, Bruce sensed their confusion, but the look that he sent them clearly said “not now.” His attention immediately returned to the glowing hands, while Roy’s couldn’t leave the body they were touching. The ventilator was impossible to miss. The very idea that the speedster wasn’t able to do something as simple as breath on his own was devastating, but to see proof of that in front of him? He felt sick.   
A few minutes passed; her hands staying on in their place on the man’s face and head. The room was nearly silent. The Titans more than aware that Raven needed to concentrate and talking could disrupt that, and the League not knowing what to say. Finally, the blue color faded from Raven’s hands and she pulled them away, breathing a little bit harder than normal. She’d barely made to move back at all before stumbling, Robin and Garth both rushing to keep her from falling. Her eyes were slipping closed, much of her strength drained.   
“Woah there, is she okay?” Clark asked, hovering near the three. Garth was gathering her up, one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees. She was barely responsive, but this wasn’t the first time healing a severe, life threatening injury had done this to her, so they’d been expecting it. She was far from finished, but she’d done all she could for the time being.   
“It takes a lot out of her,” Dick informed, “She needs to rest before she can continue.”   
“Of course. Please, follow me.” Diana instructed kindly, leading the Atlantean out of the med bay. Raven was now unconscious, or perhaps just sleeping in his arms. There were a few spare rooms on the Watchtower that she was undoubtedly showing them to.   
Bruce was back at his lover’s bedside, checking for any changes caused by Raven’s magical intervention. He could tell right off that bat that the large cut and bruising along his face looked better than before, as if it had happened over a week ago rather than under a day.   
“Find one of the doctors. I want new tests done as soon as possible.” Bruce said to anyone who was listening, eyes not leaving the redhead. John jumped on the task, remembering seeing the two doctors on board heading towards the cafeteria when he and Shayera had been leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter gets more reviews/comments than the last one (it got zero)

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know what you think! I have the first 12k words already written so I'll consider posting them soon!
> 
> Also, if anyone knows if our friend allegrezza is okay please let us know, we are worried :(


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